Derek Chisora’s Career: A Closer Look

Derek Chisora will likely have his last UK fight on Saturday against Otto Wallin as we look at his career highlights. 

Chisora will participate in his 49th fight as he enters the bout with a 35-13-0 record. He defeated Joe Joyce in his last fight to secure one of the most impressive wins on his resume. He has developed a reputation for facing the best fighters in the sport. While he may have come up short on many occasions, he has pushed his opponents to the limit.

He was credited with arguably giving Oleksandr Usyk one of his toughest fights at heavyweight. He continued to push forward, putting Usyk on the back foot by working his body. While Usyk was still new to the heavyweight division, the Ukrainian had an easier time against his future opponents such as Daniel Dubois, showing that Chisora put in a commendable effort. 

Chisora’s Legacy

Chisora also had two classic fights with Dillian Whyte. He lost a controversial split decision in 2016. Chisora was the better fighter by forcing Whyte backwards. The Compubox numbers proved that. He landed 376 punches from his 843, while White only connected with 339 from 756. Chisora also landed more power punches, with 343 from 661, while Whyte had 303 from 521 thrown. Whyte had the better of it with the jabs, but Chisora was forcing the pace. The rematch saw Chisora get knocked out when he was ahead in the fight. There is speculation a trilogy could take place, but it depends on Chisora beating Wallin. 

Chisora’s best win could be against Carlos Takam. The latter troubled Anthony Joshua when the Brit was the unified heavyweight champion. Chisora made Takam look ordinary, knocking him out in the eighth round. He showed immense durability to overpower Takam, who is known for his physicality. Two right hands ended the fight, giving Chisora a famous win. 

Chisora has also been linked with a fight against Deontay Wilder. He has faced The Bronze Bomber’s trainer Malik Scott. Chisora knocked out Scott in the sixth round, giving the latter the first defeat of his career. It was controversial since Scott appeared to have beaten the count, but the fight was waived off. A Chisora-Wilder fight could give Scott the chance to gain his revenge. 

The Future

But when it came to his biggest fights, Chisora came up short. He fought only once for the heavyweight title, taking on Vitali Klitschko for the WBC belt. He pushed the champion all the way until the final bell, getting the better of him in the final round. But he lost a one-sided unanimous decision: 118-110, 118-110, and 119-111. That would be his only title shot. Chisora knows time is against him, which is why he has promised to beat Wallin. 

“I don’t talk crap so Otto Wallin knows I’m going to break him. I’m going to break his heart, I’m going to break him mentally. I’m telling you right now, I’m going to break that guy, I’m going to smoke that man. I don’t go in the ring upset, I go in the ring happy but I just want to physically hurt the other man. I want to hurt him, I don’t hate him, I just want to physically hurt him. And that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday night,” Chisora said